A surge of interest in state colleges and universities

Once the poor cousins to the region’s extensive network of upper-tier private schools, New England’s state university systems have seen a steady increase in applications in recent years.

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By Jonathan RileyPatriot Ledger State House Bureau

The Patriot Ledger, Quincy, MA

By Jonathan RileyPatriot Ledger State House Bureau

Posted May. 24, 2014 at 6:00 AM

By Jonathan RileyPatriot Ledger State House Bureau

Posted May. 24, 2014 at 6:00 AM

» Social News

BOSTON – Once the poor cousins to the region’s extensive network of upper-tier private schools, New England’s state university systems have seen a steady increase in applications in recent years.

“The picture has really changed since the ’60s and ’70s, when the private colleges and universities were the primary player in the state’s higher education system,” said Katy Abel, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education.

But while the demand for spots and services at public colleges has rapidly increased, funding to finance the larger number of students has not. According to the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center, between fiscal year 2001 and 2013, Massachusetts cut higher education funding more than all but six states, and now ranks 48th out of 50 states in higher education funding as a percentage of the economy.

The trend has finally begun to reverse, with funding increases since fiscal 2012, but the higher education budget for fiscal 2014 is still $366 million lower than the inflation-adjusted high-water mark of $1.5 billion in 2001.

University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the largest campus in the UMass system, received a record number of applications for fall 2013 – more than 35,000. That’s an increase of more than 15,000 freshman applicants since 2005.

“Really the biggest change for us in the increase in applications is that we’re much more selective in the students we accept,” said UMass-Amherst spokesman Daniel Fitzgibbons.

The school offered admission to more students for the last academic year, accepting over 6,000 more applicants than in 2005. But even with that increase, the admission rates are significantly less than previous years. In 2005, over 80 percent of UMass-Amherst freshman applicants were accepted. Since 2012, the rate dropped to less than 65 percent.

Fitzgibbons said “there’s no question” that admission to the university has become more competitive.

However, the majority of accepted students do not end up enrolling. While incoming class sizes have grown over the years, they’ve been outpaced by both applications and admissions. If an inordinate number of accepted students decided to take up the school’s offer, it’s questionable whether the university would be prepared for them.

“We haven’t added a lot more facilities. We have added some, but that’s mostly had to do with our long-term development plans,” Fitzgibbons said. He said UMass- Amherst hires new faculty every year, but this often has to do with factors other than increased enrollment, such as retirements.

Acceptance rates at the smaller UMass schools have remained steadier, but only because they’ve rapidly expanded enrollment.

Between 2004 and 2013, the numbers of freshmen both applying and accepted to UMass-Lowell and UMass-Boston more than doubled. Of those, the number that enrolled at UMass-Boston more than doubled, and increased by more than 60 percent at UMass-Lowell.

Page 2 of 2 - During the same time frame, UMass- Dartmouth saw both the number of applicants and admissions increase by over 2,000 students, a jump of more than a third.

Massachusetts state colleges have seen similar increases. In just two years, between 2011 and 2013, the number of freshman applicants to Fitchburg State jumped by nearly 20 percent. The number accepted increased by more than 20 percent. While enrollment increased at a slightly slower rate, it still set a record.

Fitchburg State spokesman Matthew Bruun said last fall’s class of 1,200 students was the school’s largest incoming class.

At Bridgewater State, Framingham State, and Worcester State – and throughout the state university system overall – undergraduate full-time enrollment has steadily increased every year since 2009.

Abel said affordability is a factor in the rising interest in public colleges since the 2008 recession. According to the College Board, the average cost of in-state tuition for public universities was slightly under $9,000 for the 2013-14 school year, while it was just over $30,000 for private institutions.

“Because of the economic downturn, families that were previously thinking of only sending their son or daughter to a private institution are now looking more broadly at higher education in the state,” Abel said.

This is also reflected in the numbers.

“In 1967, 30 percent of undergraduates attended public colleges and universities. Today that number is 52 percent,” she said. “That is obviously a dramatic shift. So what you are seeing now in Massachusetts is the ascendancy of public higher education.”

The state’s 15 community colleges, which have open enrollment, have also seen rapid growth. Bunker Hill Community College has recently been ranked the 12th-fastest growing large community college in the country.

“As community colleges are growing as institutions they are in need of more space,” Abel said. “They are in need of more resources.”

Commonwealth colleges aren’t alone. Public higher education systems in neighboring states have seen similar application increases in recent years. Most of New England’s public higher education systems have seen enrollment increase over the years.